Lab Requirements and Recommendations
To align with the American Chemical Society accreditation, schools are recommended to dedicate a minimum of 3 hours a week to laboratory activity. College Board specifically requires that a minimum of twenty five percent of instructional time be dedicated to the delivery of laboratory experiences. College Board recommends performing a minimum of sixteen hands-on laboratory investigations that support the learning objectives listed within the AP Chemistry curriculum. Six of these labs must follow a guided-inquiry format.
Oftentimes, school limitations such as class period time allotment and the availability of resources limit our ability to implement all of the recommended labs. Teachers are encouraged to deliver as many authentic and traditional hands-on lab experiences as their schedules will allow. However, to meet the expectations of College Board, teachers may need to make some modifications to their instruction. These modifications may include implementing a Flipped Classroom approach and supplementing with Virtual Labs. College Board specifically addresses the validity of using Virtual Labs to meet their requirements as long as the labs require students to work interactively with the simulation to manipulate variables, collect and analyze data and form conclusions. Many virtual labs can be used to perform inquiry-based investigations through the careful development or modification of lab instructions.
The statement provided by the College Board is as follows:
"A hands-on laboratory experience is one in which students manipulate, observe, explore, and think about science using concrete materials. Hands-on labs must be guided by a science educator. For the purpose of the AP Course Audit, the College Board considers a virtual lab to be an interactive experience during which students observe and manipulate computer-generated objects, data, or phenomena in order to fulfill the learning objectives of a laboratory experience. These objectives include, but are not limited to, generating and exploring answers to experimental questions, drawing and evaluating conclusions, and thinking and communicating effectively about science. For the purpose of the AP Course Audit, the College Board considers computer-based or teacher-led demonstrations neither a virtual nor hands-on laboratory experience in and of themselves, though these elements may enhance the course's primary laboratory component."
Oftentimes, school limitations such as class period time allotment and the availability of resources limit our ability to implement all of the recommended labs. Teachers are encouraged to deliver as many authentic and traditional hands-on lab experiences as their schedules will allow. However, to meet the expectations of College Board, teachers may need to make some modifications to their instruction. These modifications may include implementing a Flipped Classroom approach and supplementing with Virtual Labs. College Board specifically addresses the validity of using Virtual Labs to meet their requirements as long as the labs require students to work interactively with the simulation to manipulate variables, collect and analyze data and form conclusions. Many virtual labs can be used to perform inquiry-based investigations through the careful development or modification of lab instructions.
The statement provided by the College Board is as follows:
"A hands-on laboratory experience is one in which students manipulate, observe, explore, and think about science using concrete materials. Hands-on labs must be guided by a science educator. For the purpose of the AP Course Audit, the College Board considers a virtual lab to be an interactive experience during which students observe and manipulate computer-generated objects, data, or phenomena in order to fulfill the learning objectives of a laboratory experience. These objectives include, but are not limited to, generating and exploring answers to experimental questions, drawing and evaluating conclusions, and thinking and communicating effectively about science. For the purpose of the AP Course Audit, the College Board considers computer-based or teacher-led demonstrations neither a virtual nor hands-on laboratory experience in and of themselves, though these elements may enhance the course's primary laboratory component."